Review of Non-Nuclear Density Gauges as Possible Replacements for ITD’S Nuclear Density Gauges
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2015-01-01
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Abstract:This report examines the possibility of replacing nuclear density gauges (NDGs) with non-nuclear density gauges (NNDGs) to measure density of hot mix asphalt (HMA) and unbound pavement layers in the field. The research team evaluated the effectiveness of five NNDGs for measuring density of HMA and unbound material compaction. A variety of global and local factors were evaluated to determine which factors had a significant effect on the HMA devices. The findings show that, while both NDG and NNDG could produce results that are statistically significantly different from core densities for some projects, calibrated HMA NNDG results perform as well as the current Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) NDG practice. Surface moisture was found to have effects on the NNDG measurements of HMA density. Recommendations were made to modify the test protocol of NNDGs. The team compared the density values and moisture contents of unbound materials (e.g. base, subbase, or subgrade) measured from NNDGs to those obtained using traditional devices: NDG (density and moisture), sand cone (density) and laboratory oven (moisture content). Each NNDG for unbound soils required calibration to a traditional device. Overall, the results indicate that measurements by NNDGs on unbound materials are not consistently accurate or precise enough to replace NDGs.
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